Night had fallen and the full clouds covered the little light of the moon that reached the landscape. An oppressive silence reigned among the people, especially the High-Magicians. They had lost many lives today and the loss of the closest people hurt a lot. The first line of defense had fallen, as Rosalie's death created a gap that allowed the creatures to spread out unhindered. Many mages continued to come from the north towards the capital and helped to intercept the worst before the second line of defense.

They were still in battle, but there was no trace of the chairman far and wide. Tension reigned in the minds of those in charge. Since Luc was the only one who had seen the Chairman himself, all of Cale's hopes were currently pinned on the young High-Magician. There was not much else for them to do, not even for the dragons. They flew energetically over the horizon, lighting up the darkness with their flames.

With a miserable feeling, Cale watched the sight from the base. Along with Joshua and Nora, he had retreated for now to get a brief respite. By now, they couldn't even tell where all the creatures were coming from. It was not the plains, maybe from the underground or from the sea. No one could really say, but one thing was clear - they were putting permanent pressure on their defenses. The healers had been in constant use for several hours, and every able-bodied fighter who was reasonably fit again was helping out on the front lines. Even Cale had been killing the creatures like a madman until nightfall, as if he were possessed. Only Grischa's words forced him to take a mental break.

Meanwhile, Cale squatted on the ledge with a broken heart, trying to process the events of the day. They had lost three colleagues and recently lost the second dragon. Although Cale had been on the scene, he had been unable to prevent the attack on the majestic creatures and had watched powerlessly as the giant dragon crashed to the ground, drenching the area with its blood.

Despite all the power and his preparations, Cale felt he had lost the battle. Close to 20-thousand people had died or were considered missing today, nearly twice that many were badly injured and would take weeks to recover. Sylve was in a similar debacle, as the appearance of the unknown creature alone killed scores of people in a matter of minutes. Fengari had to reveal her presence because no one could tell what kind of abilities this creature had. But even she had trouble killing this creature. Had it not been for the young female mages who showed up to help Fengari. For Cale, it was strange to hear that there were people who were really useful and whose names he did not know. But in a way, he also didn't know anything about the creature 'Ozen', who had a natural resistance to fire. Despite everything, there were things that he could not foresee.

What made the whole situation worse was the fact that Ben had not returned to the capital. He had used his emergency signal, but he had not been seen since. Neither had his father, Loys of Freigoud. When he had returned to camp, it was like a slap in the face for Cale. Even if no one said it directly, Cale was aware that Ben had not made it. He had to try hard not to burst into tears in front of everyone, which was why he had retreated.

Aletta had checked in with him once in between to see how he was doing. They spoke briefly, but Cale hid the information about Ben from her. During the conversation, Aletta explained that the supreme healer Juna Allas wanted to talk to him, but Cale was not in the motivation to talk to strangers and postponed the conversation until tomorrow.

But there was one good thing about the situation: only 1 leader and Chairman Hosik were still alive, as far as his aunt's statement could be believed. But that did not mean that the warriors were weak. Even Cale had sometimes had massive problems in a direct confrontation to kill them efficiently. With some of them, he even felt like he was up against a High-Magician. Especially those who could teleport were a huge challenge. He had to point out where they would appear based on their movements in order to catch them, which was easier said than done. The Thormods did not like to be cornered.

Cale could sense strong winds behind him and sensed Velence and the Eldest approaching the large makeshift camp. Everyone's eyes were on the two leaders as they landed together on the open, rocky ground. Some people stared at the dragon with frightened eyes, while others showed curiosity or even envy. It was the first time for them to see a dragon up close, because most of the time they circled over their heads and they had to be careful not to get in each other's way. However, even though the dragons had greater stamina physically, the first of them were slowly coming to the end of their rope.

"Apostle Caleb Leuen", Velence greeted him, bowing his head slightly. Cale had already risen to his feet and did likewise before approaching the tall being. He was nowhere near as tall as Palaios or the Dragon Queen, but his grace was woven into all his muscles. Slowly, Velence opened his eyes and stuck his head out to Cale, who reached out and touched his hand.

"Velence. This is the first time we've met in person, isn't it?"

"I seem to remember that you have already met me in a past time", the dragon replied politely. Quietly, Cale stepped up beside him and glanced at the Eldest, who had made his way to the center of the camp without greeting. Since learning of Aaron's death, the Eldest had become much quieter. Judging by his quick walk, Cale suspected that he wanted to see Aaron's body to dedicate his final resting place to him. Presumably he would do the same with Rangar and Rosalie, same as Cale had already done.

"I'm sorry for your loss", Cale replied carefully, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. After the last few hours, he had achieved a strange, inner peace. Thought, he had hardly had a chance to talk to anyone about it, but he was generally not the type to talk much about his feelings. Grischa knew this and therefore only intervened when Cale was noticeably at the end of his patience, even though he had lost people he cared about just the same. But hope had not completely died.

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"Thank you. My sympathies to your people, you fought hard today."

With a hesitant smile, he looked back into the dragon's eyes and then sat down on the ground in front of him, which Velence did the same. Silently, the two authorities squatted side by side and let the evening fade away. Occasionally, information from the front reached them, but they seemed to have the situation largely under control. Cale checked with Fengari once on their status, as his Igrikum continued to be consumed by William. She simply stated that the battle was still in full swing and the number of wounded continued to grow, making her seriously question whether they could hold out for several days without more help.

Wearily, Cale sighed.

They had to take care of the leader in Sylve, but Hosik was the far bigger problem. Besides, the 12th High-Magician had to be careful who he fought. If there was another Thormod who could block Nature's mana, then Sylve would be overrun. The thought that he could be responsible for Bellator's downfall and put William's life in danger gave him the creeps. Despite his caution, many unexpected things had happened today that he could have prevented.

After about 20 minutes, the Eldest reappeared beside them and gave Cale an expressionless look. His clean clothes disguised the fact of how tired in the Eldest was. He ran a hand over his long beard and stopped just short of Cale and Velence.

"Damian..."

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. It's not your fault, Caleb."

"I'm really sorry", Cale expressed himself nonetheless, watching ruefully as the blond-haired mage sat down in front of him and merely responded with a nod. His bright eyes wandered over the horizon for a brief moment, but he turned back to the dragon and High-Magician relatively quickly. "If I had known that such a Thormod existed, I would have acted differently."

"I am the one who should say that. This warrior must also be able to block my Igrikum, otherwise I probably would have seen and prevented Aaron's and Rangar's deaths. Perhaps that's why I've never seen anything regarding the Thormods before."

"Maybe, yes", Cale merely confirmed.

"I've also been thinking about the whole situation. Velence, how much mana of the gods do you estimate is left?"

"It is falling constantly. If such a day as today continues, we will have a good week until the end", Velence answered politely, resting his head on his front legs. Even his head, which was now right next to Cale, was taller than Cale himself.

"Maybe I really should try to use my Igrikum actively."

"You want to send a message to your past self?", Cale amended the statement, somewhat irritated. He had been toying with the idea for some time, but hearing that sentence from the mouth of the Eldest himself was something else entirely.

"Yes. Not just a few days, I want to send it back 17 years."

"That's going to consume a lot of the gods mana", Velence commented matter-of-factly.

"I'm aware of that, but if I wait any longer, we probably won't have a second chance", the Eldest clarified his position. "I really doubt by now that we can live in a world without the gods and their mana. Even if it means going through it all over again for you, Caleb."

Depressed, Cale returned the Eldest's gaze. Coming to this decision must have been difficult for him, but for Cale it was just as complicated. He didn't want to call his bluff, but without any starting point and with the war going on at the moment, he highly doubted he would find a solution to his problem - his endless life - within a week. The only tangible idea he had in the past few months had been the Eldest's ability. But that entailed three major concerns.

Could the Eldest even manage to send the memories that far back in time on his first try? Would Cale inevitably be reborn, and what happened to all his abilities and memories?

His own opinion was conflicted, much like the Eldest. They would have to take the risk and go to an unknown terra that brought great dangers. First and foremost was the hope of whether the gods really still existed. But what bothered Cale most about the matter was that subconsciously he had long expected it. Since he had learned then that the dragon was Mellonikos in his insight, he suspected that it would end like this.

That his 6th life would not be his last life.

"What would you say to yourself, Damian?", Cale finally brought forth humbly, brushing a strand of hair from his face with his hand.

"I'll leave that entirely up to you. A phrase or a memory, just something you think is good", the Eldest replied quietly, as if he had already finished with the subject internally and was merely waiting for confirmation of his plan. Thoughtfully, Cale stared into his leader's eyes as he briefly considered what he would deem relevant.

"Then all of this. Show yourself the currnet situation and tell you: 'Spring 25, 1146. Groka, Caplens province in Sylve. Come and find me, help me and trust me unconditionally.'"

For a brief moment, a smile appeared on Cale's face as he found the statement almost a bit exaggerated. The Eldest was not bothered by this comment, however, as he merely closed his eyes and seemed to be trying to concentrate. Uncomfortable, Cale watched him do so, but since Damian remained silent, he lay down on his back and closed his eyes.

The first thing that jumped into his mind was the silhouette of William when he first died. His calls echoed unannounced through Cale's mind to this day, as if reminding himself not to forget his existence. He was grateful for Fengari's caring concern for the prince, though he had not yet been able to fulfill his part of the promise. Philippa and Aletta appeared next in his mind's eye. He hadn't had any contact with them since the conversation a few days ago, and that despite the fact that he would have an easy time talking to them thanks to Chioni's ability. Perhaps he would do so in the next few hours as well, for he missed their voices. Ben was a big problem in that point, because there he had already tried, but could not find his mana. It was like a clear signal that the young swordsman had left them today. At the thought, he called Aaron's face into his head, the man who had often caused him difficulties in his life. It was nice to watch him slowly open up after his time with William and break away from his cold-hearted character. As Aaron himself had put it, Cale also regretted not building a friendship with him much earlier. With Grischa, he had already done so unwillingly in this life, and Aaron was another person whose lack of presence would haunt him for decades to come. And as usual, Cale had not become aware of it until much later.

Cale bristled and opened his eyes. He didn't want to spend his time with sad memories. Without Aaron's critical opinion, Cale didn't know if he should send support to Sylve. The Third Wave had claimed the entire continent for a reason. Making the wrong decision now could have serious consequences for all life, including the dragons. But he had to do something, because the fight could not go on like this. They would lose it sooner or later if they did not take care of the cause.

Suddenly, an enormous mass of mana surged forth, causing Cale's hackles to stand up. He straightened up and looked forward in surprise. Velence felt the same way, as he too straightened up and tried to understand where this destructive feeling was coming from.

But before Cale knew it, everything around him went white.